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LOT 0091
Roman Gold Bell-Shaped Earring Pair
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
1 1/8 in. (7.5 grams total, 28-31 mm).
Each a hollow-formed sphere with dimple to the upper edge and discoid plaque extending to an S-curved wire dangle. [2]
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 45, for type.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Roman Bronze Flying Phallus
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Amuletic model phallus with swept lateral wings; mounted on a custom-made stand. 99 grams total, 67 mm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Roman Marble Head of a Satyr
Late 1st-early 2nd century A.D.Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £20,000
Finely carved head of a young satyr with arched brows, pointed ears and tousled curly hair, his short rounded horns projecting from the hairline, lips drawn back in a mischievous smile with the tip of his tongue protruding to his right; head turned to his right, eyes slightly downcast; traces of wattles to each side of the jaw, tip of nose abraded, forelock chipped; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 18.2 kg total, 40 cm including stand
Christoph Bernoulli (1897-1981), Basel, possibly acquired from Münzen & Medaillen AG, Basel; thence by descent. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12188-222442.
The head seems a work of the 2nd century A.D., derived from Hellenistic prototypes, likely based on a Greek original of the 4th or 3rd century B.C. traditionally associated with the work of Praxiteles, Skopas or Lysippos, depicting a standing Pan playing the flute with his legs crossed. However, both the present head and the Princeton example, always after Hellenistic prototypes of the mid-2nd century B.C., are close to the statue of the so-called Young Centaur signed by Aristeas and Papias, in bigio morato, which was found at Tivoli in Hadrian’s Villa and is now in the collection of the Capitoline Museum (inv. No. MC0656). -
Roman Glass Candlestick Bottle
1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
A bulbous light blue bottle with dimpled base, wide neck and flared rim. 130 grams, 87 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1980-1990s.
A similar vessel was found in the cave 19-4 of Zikhron Yosef at Jerusalem. The shape suggests its use as candlestick or short jar. Small globular bottles, piriform bottles, or small bottles with long, narrow necks (today called candlestick bottles) held perfumes or other precious oils and replicated the shapes found in pottery, alabaster, and stone.